yes that's the point - crucial time must hold that ball, force the ball up. I know its not central to Houla but there are moments you just have to. Now Synners may be right and with strong leadership he would, don't know. But I think of blokes like Glascott, Crane, Gags, Quirk, Keogh. Oh the good old days

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

After every game last year, all you guys could do was bag him and say he should be traded. He has lifted his game dramatically this year. So now half of these posts are saying he had a good game and the others are bagging him.

From what I've been seeing in him this year he has taken a pretty harsh tackle (v Fremantle) and went back into the game, was one of our best that game. This week he kept hitting the target in the forward line, but they weren't kicking straight, which somewhat is still making you criticize him.

He has bulked up alot this year and taken a new role with some ease. He has been one of our best players so far this year and I'm sure if he keeps this up he could be up for B&F this year. And remember someone made a thread earlier saying they would be tipping Houls for the Brownlow.

I have a fantastic idea for you haters, try bagging someone that hasn't been doing well like Lappin (his poor kicking in) or Stevens (who hasn't been his best for most of the season so far). Or here's another fantastic idea, wait until Round 16 before making judgements on Houls on his game and somewhat the other players.

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Karma

Loyal & Proud

go jump

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Houlihan has a lot of natural football ability and comes from a football family. He broke into our team in 2000 when we were still a dominant force with names like Sivagni, Bradley, Ratten, Brown...the list goes on. Once he broke into the team in 2000 he has remained there for the last 6 years whilst all your heroes naturally retired and your 'favourites' have been delisted. And he's only 24 this year.

Houlihan is silk and flashy, and this is what brings him undone in your eyes. When he tries to do the flashy one handed grabs and spin and dummy to find space, which is critical for a good disposal in these days of pressure pressure pressure football, he usually succeeds but sometimes the body crash would have been the better option. OK that may be a mistake at the time, but the way some of the posters are carrying on you would think that they are perfect and that all the other good players are perfect too.

Posters post opinions, not necassarily facts. Posters make human mistakes and so do footballers. The difference between Houla making mistakes and Posters maing mistakes is that Houla is a footballer with no time to think in the crunch and posters are not footballers and have all the time in the world to post their 'thoughtful' appraisal. So when I compare the (negative) posters' comments and Houla's footballing performance, it's easy to dismiss those posters' as being pathetic.

Posters using words like pathetic to describe Houla, or exaggerating their summation of events with comments like 'he turns it over every two minutes" . Well that to me is coming from frustrated 'hot heads' ; 'hot heads' are not rational, they become angry and incoherent in an instance and can be very dangerous by mouth and physical force. They lack control, and usually common sense.

Similarly journos do the same thing but they do it for ratings and the spot light though. The more of the spot light they can get the better their employment security is. Not worth a grain of salt in all seriosness. It's just entertainment. If you believe Walls' summation of Houla, then you too, discount the game and all it's idiosyncracies for the purpose of sensationalism. Again, sensationalist remarks are not worth serious consideration.

FYI Houlihan is a defensive wingman, his opponent was beaten, and he ammassed 29 possessions. If most of it was as a linkman, then great, because somebody has to be there to link. It's a team game. We can't have a team of 22 ruckmen or 22 Diesels. We have only a couple of really classy kicks in the team, Houla and Stevens as the stand outs. They are there in part to finish. I know Houlihan did his job, and how was his pass to Murphy who went on to kick a goal? Beauuuutifuuuul !!!

Walls makes comments that are stupid and over the top because he's paid to do it. What's your reason?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

At this early stage of the season I would dare say that Houlihan is leading the Carlton FC B & F, amongst a group contesting the medal in Whitnall, Walker, Fev and Murphy.

If Houla does end up winning it, and the same Houla haters (those with a chip on their shoulder) attempt to belittle his achievement with similar stupid comments as they make above, then against my premise that the football club is bigger than the footballer, and that the members are so important in the fabric of a football club, I wish those negative people would go and find another team, or go and cry and rest on Walls' pubic bone. That'll wash out your mouth.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Now that's frustrating, Lappin gets brushed off like a fly a couple of times a week and it pisses me off royally.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

or they are supporters who vent their spleen and Houla is a kid who gets paid so supporters can vent their spleen. At least nowadays we don't put the thumbs down. If we did I daresay Houla may have been in trouble in the old Roman days. He is a frustrating player and some of his links were excellent and Rome was not built in a day and cliches last forever....

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

...and that is un-Lappin like - has to be the shoulder.

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

I dunno which Lappin you're watching, but Matthew has been brushed aside in every match this season with ease, pre-shoulder as well as post. In fact too many of our players can't stick a tackle.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Ok accept its not the shoulder but it was not that long ago that I thought pound for pound he was the best tackler in our side.

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

Who was on Hyde all night?

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Shane Crawford stated last week that Carlton is one of the best tackling teams in the competition, and that they're really hard at it.

So who knows better regarding Carlton tacklers and their ability to make them stick? Crawford who just played against the Blues and footy for over 10 years, or the couch potato who is proned to sensationalist remarks?

We're developing slowly and steadily. Don't forget that we could have won 4 games that we lost, and our tackling in one on one situations as well as the gang tackling is what contributed to putting Carlton in a winnable position.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

If you can't play the ball then I'll ignore your posts in the future.
I've been asked after a game of footy whether I grew up playing rugby such was ability to make tackles stick and make them stick good. I'm not So if you're not Shane Crawford your opinion is worthless?

Just like your opinion that I'm a couch potato who knows nothing and is prone to sensationalist remarks I guess.




So there's no scope for improvement? There aren't particular players who seem to get fended off regularly?
We do have some great tacklers as well as some others who make me wince as a Carlton fan.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Houla has had a great season so far.
He has been one of few players to actually hit targets this season, and has become corageous of late.

There are other players who deserve the blame before Houla. He at least got his hand on the ball regualry not like other Calton players....

GET OFF HIS BACK

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

I wont say I told you all so...
i can't even watch him anymore.

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GO BLUE BOYS!!

Let's face facts - he looks good when he has the ball out on the flanks by himself but when the hard ball needs to be won or he needs to commit his body - FORGET IT!!!!!!! I know that not everybody can be on the bottom of the pack but you've got to put your body on the line every so often!

Yet he has had the most hard ball gets.

That's because he's always having to dispose the ball in the thick of the action, people fail to recognise this.

Imagine if some of his team mates were smart enough to provide a sheppard...

Hit the nail right on the head Wojee. Certain players are sacred and certain are the whipping boys when we lose. Lappo and Stevo are really pissing me off at the moment. I don't know whether they are 100% or not but in my opinion those two more than any others on our list are letting us down.

The thing that gets me is that Houla plays the same way, week in, week out, but when we lose he's one who the fingers instantly point at.

I personally though he was OK without starring and I certainly wouldn't blame him for the loss.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa